ST. LOUIS – His story is likely over now, and it’s a wonderful tale of accomplishment and redemption, only with a less-than appropriate ending.

There’s a bittersweet bite to all of it, though. Without Francisco Garcia, the Louisville Cardinals never would have been anywhere near the Final Four this year. They knew that anyway. But it was only reinforced last night, when Garcia, in what may be his final game as a collegian, was held to only four points.

Without Garcia, they had no shot of staying at the Final Four.

“I tried my best,” Garcia said when it was over, after Illinois had sent Louisville home with a thorough 72-57 thrashing. “We all tried our best. But that’s a very good team that beat us tonight. We knew we had to play very well. But we didn’t play good enough.”

It was a less than satisfying likely ending to a most satisfying career at Louisville for Garcia, who is projected as a likely first-round draft pick regardless of how poorly he may have played last night.

“Well,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said, “I think Francisco early on didn’t let the game come to him, got caught taking some very difficult shots, then it mushroomed. He was concerned about being off. If he would have just relaxed a little bit . . . he would have been better off.”

It was hard, though, especially given his team’s dire straits in the second half, as Illinois started to swarm and the deficit started to grow. Garcia finished 2-for-10 for the night. The Cardinals, as they have all year, needed more from him.

Garcia actually has left the door slightly ajar for a return next year for his fourth year of eligibility.

“I told him this, I said, ‘Look, Francisco, you’re going to be a first-round draft choice. Here is what you have to figure out. In other years, you’d be a lottery pick,’ ” Pitino said. “He’s got enormous talent. Obviously, he didn’t show it tonight.

“What he’s going to do is, he’s going to take a loan out, go travel around and visit some teams and showcase his skills and pay for it himself, not sign with an agent and then he’ll make his decision late. If he’s a 26 pick in the draft, I would recommend coming back. If he’s 18th, I’d recommend going.”